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New DREAM Act bill raises hope among DACA educators for undocumented students

The introduction of a new Dream Act that aims to permanently legalize undocumented youth who came to the country as children sparked optimism among DACA educators in Los Angeles. The new bill presented to Congress on Thursday is even more generous than DACA — Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals — because it offers a path...
By Esmeralda Fabián Romero | July 21, 2017
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Ed Trust’s Ryan Smith explains ‘The California Way’ in education

At an event filled with 500 Los Angeles education leaders, Ryan Smith, executive director of The Education Trust -West, highlighted the urgent need to ensure that low-income students of color get the best education possible — and how to do it with what he calls “The California Way.” Smith is director of the research and advocacy organization...
By Esmeralda Fabián Romero | July 21, 2017
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King’s first priority for a new LA Unified task force is chronic absenteeism. We break it down for you

Business, philanthropic and community leaders have formed a new task force to work with LA Unified Superintendent Michelle King and its first undertaking will be to tackle chronic absenteeism, the Los Angeles Times reported. LA School Report reported last month that budget documents showed the number of students who were chronically absent — missing 16...
By Sarah Favot | July 19, 2017
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LAUSD nearly doubles its reclassification rate for English learners meeting King’s goal, preliminary data show

LA Unified is projecting that it has nearly doubled last year’s rate of reclassifying English learners as proficient and has hit Superintendent Michelle King’s goal laid out in her strategic plan. Preliminary data show the district’s English learner reclassification rate is 20 percent for the school year that ended last month, a vast improvement from...
By Sarah Favot | July 17, 2017
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High school coach uses the soccer field to get first-generation students into college

High school athletes at big schools know that sports can be a sure route to college. But for students at smaller schools that’s not as well known, especially in immigrant families where sports isn’t seen as a way to get — and pay for — a higher education. Alex Guerrero, 18, had never heard of...
By Esmeralda Fabián Romero | July 17, 2017
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Teacher groups frustrated with California ESSA plan’s ‘loose’ definition of ineffective teachers

Teacher advocacy groups are concerned that California’s definition of an ineffective teacher is too loose and won’t be bolstered before the state has to turn in its federal accountability plan in two months. Each state must submit its plan to comply with the federal Every Student Succeeds Act by Sept. 18, and one accountability measure...
By Mike Szymanski | July 14, 2017
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Getting ready for high school success: Summer program ‘coaches’ middle school students for a positive transition

Students of the “Prep for Success Summer Bridge Program” at the Huntington Park Institute of Applied Medicine (HPIAM), one of three pilot schools on LA Unified’s Linda Esperanza Marquez High School campus, wore their best formal outfits Thursday morning for their final presentations. Carlos Barrera fixed his tie as he prepared to talk about how...
By Esmeralda Fabián Romero | July 13, 2017
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‘There’s no timeline for accountability’: LA parents tell state board the lowest-performing schools need to be improved now

Los Angeles parents traveled to Sacramento Wednesday in hopes of making sure their children’s interests will be reflected in the state’s Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) plan, which must be finalized and submitted to the federal government by Sept. 18. A mother from Compton, Esther Covarrubias, was one of a handful of parents who are...
By Esmeralda Fabián Romero | July 12, 2017
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Teachers in California received largest average pay increase in the nation last year, report shows

California teachers received the largest average pay increase in the nation last year and about four times the national average, according to a new report. The report, Ranking of the States 2016 and Estimates of School Statistics 2017, was published in May by the National Education Association. It annually tracks trends year over year and...
By Sarah Favot | July 11, 2017
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Personalized learning boosts math scores, new RAND study finds — but scaling is a challenge

Students who engage in personalized learning do better in math than their peers, and charter schools are more conducive to implementing and scaling personalized learning programs than traditional schools, because of their inherent flexibility. These are among the findings of a new RAND Corp. study of 40 schools nationwide — 31 charters and nine traditional schools —...
By Tim Newcomb | July 11, 2017